


The Proposal

by Javira



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Established Relationship, Family Dinners, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Romance, Some Weasley Bashing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-21
Updated: 2018-02-21
Packaged: 2019-03-22 07:35:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,705
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13759326
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Javira/pseuds/Javira
Summary: To avoid the nagging and questions about his love life, Harry asks his boyfriend to join him for the next Weasley Dinner and to tell everyone about their relationship.The Weasleys agreed to stay open-minded and welcome Draco in their home, but as soon as Harry leaves the room, the air changes...





	The Proposal

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt: "Who would want to marry me?"

_“Please Draco, I’m going barmy! They’re trying to set me up with other guys. Every. Time. Again! Please, come with me and let’s tell them, about our relationship.”_

‘This lunch is going to be my end.’ Draco thought cynically, with the Burrow looming ahead of them. He was happy with Harry. Merlin, he was in love with the guy and would do everything for him! He did already quite a lot. Like spying on the Dark Lord and giving secret Insider Information to Harry. Only to Harry. He didn’t trust the Order, he still doesn’t. But he trusts Harry. And when Harry stroked his cheek and looked at him, like he was a treasure, he couldn’t deny him his wish.

They had kept their relationship a secret. At first, because Draco was spying on everyone near him. His Lord, his friends. His family. After the final fight at Hogwarts, where he died a little bit, when Hagrid carried the seemingly dead Harry in his arms, they wanted time for themselves. Without the world reporting and commenting on this ‘atrocious’ affair. And then, they lived for a whole year, happy and content in their little bubble. Knowing, that it was theirs to cherish, theirs to keep secret. Nobody was to know, because reality and their relationship couldn’t work together. At least, he thought so. But it seemed, as if Harry had other ideas. Why else, did he insist on this meeting with the Weasley’s? Just because they pushed him, to find a boyfriend? Surely Harry knew, that he could do so much better than Draco?

Draco always knew, that he and Harry wouldn’t stay together. One day Harry would realize, that Draco is evil and his Death Eater Past will catch up with them.

‘Maybe,... maybe this lunch is meant to be a sign? A sign, that it’s time to wake up. And to show Harry, that he can do so much better. That boy’s delusional at the best of times.’ Draco thought fondly and a soft smile – reserved only for Harry to see – spread on his face.

“Draco? Everything okay? You’ve been silent, for an awful long time.” Harry’s worried voice penetrated Draco’s line of thought and he raised his head to look at his lover. The last year has been good to Harry. His body filled out, he grew his hair out and he changed his glasses to thinner ones with silver frames – which gave him a more mature look.

“You told them, that I’m coming, right?” Did he sound unsure? If he were to guess from Harrys squeezing his hand – yes.

“Don’t worry Draco. They suspected for a long time, that I’m with someone. And when I told them last week about you, they were really open-minded and welcoming about the idea of inviting you. So please, relax. Nobody’s going to harm you.”

As much as he wanted to believe Harry, he just couldn’t. But for Harry he would try to hide his anxiety. “Come here.”

Draco found himself surrounded with strong arms and pressed against the chest of his boyfriend. Inhaling Harry’s scent, he made up his mind, to be on his best behaviour amongst the redheads. Taking a step back, he relished once again in the feeling, Harrys piercing look gave him.

With a subtle nod they turned once again towards the Burrow, linking their hands and brushing their arms and shoulders while they’re walking.

“HARRY! There you are! Come in, come in! Hello Draco.” It could be his paranoid imagination or the sudden appearance of Mrs. Weasley in the door, but to Draco it seemed, as if the greeting to him was somewhat… cool?

After the both of them were ushered in the house, Draco realized that the whole clan was waiting for them. Even the older brothers and Fleur and Hermione stared at him with narrowed (?) eyes.

If you were to ask an Outsider, they would tell you, that it was a lovely lunch with a big, happy family. Still, Draco felt, as if everyone was judging him. But Harry glowed with happiness, so he kept his insecurities and doubts to himself. His guts were proven right, when Harry excused himself to use the bathroom. Suddenly everyone went still and silent and you could hear a needle drop, if there was a needle to be let dropped.

The Weasley Matriarch started the interrogation. “What are your plans? What do you want from our Harry?”

Even if he suspected questions, Draco felt defensive. “He is not YOUR Harry. He is his own person.”

“Oh shut up, Malfoy! We all know, what kind of a… person… you are. Just stop pretending to have feelings. We know your history with Harry and we know you hate him!” Ron’s outburst was supported by nodding heads and Ginny’s whispered “We will protect Harry, from Death Eaters like you.”

The insinuation was clear. He was a Malfoy. A Death Eater. He couldn’t have feelings. And most of all, he couldn’t have feelings for Harry.

Suddenly it was hard to breathe. But before he could regain his composure, Harry returned and everyone started talking about Quidditch or the Ministry of Magic.

Harry didn’t even realize it, but more and more, they left Draco out. They didn’t pretend any longer to get to know him, or even to like him. No, they ignored him. They’ve made their point clear. After the opulent meal, everyone retreated to the living room, Ron and Ginny pulling Harry with them, ‘to show him something hilarious’. Everyone was lounging on the chairs, couches and on the floor in front of the fireplace. They had a lot of fun, reminiscing about their years at Hogwarts or making fun of the stupidest articles in the Daily Prophet. The Weasley’s tried their best, to get Harrys whole attention, to separate him from Draco. But only Draco realized this. He was still sitting at the enlarged table, listening to the laughter in the room next door, staring blankly at the wall in front of him.

He felt, more than heard someone sit down next to him. When it came to Harry, he’d always had a sixth sense. So he didn’t even have to look up to know who it was. The clenching in his breast spoke volumes.

“See? I knew they would welcome you. Isn’t it nice? To have a family? You and me, we are both seemingly alone. We both lost our parents to the war.” Where was Harry going with this monologue? He should know better, than to mention Draco’s parents. Narcissa whom was killed and Lucius who is sitting in Azkaban – captured, after he tried to kill his own son. But Harry it seemed, wanted to make a point. “Must be nice to be bonded to someone, to know there’s someone only for you there. Don’t you think so Draco?”

“Who would want to marry me?”

It was said with such a devastatingly sad voice, Harrys head snapped up and took in the face of the blonde man beside him. He was shocked to see such a blank expression.

“How can you say that? Don’t you want to marry me?”

Thousand thoughts ran through Draco’s mind. Of course he wants to marry the love of his life! But he is the evil one. He doesn’t get a happy end. Sooner or later, Harry will leave him. And then, the pain will be even worse. It would probably be better, to cut the ties soon. Really soon. Like now.

“No Harry. No, I don’t want to marry you.”

How will he make Harry believe him, when he can’t even look him in the eyes? He has to be strong. Stronger. For the one and only person, that made him feel happy like this. For Harry!

Resolutely, Draco’s face changed into a mask. His expression went stony and his eyes went dead, when they met green emeralds.

“It’s been nice, as long as it was going, but honestly. You don’t really believe, I want to spend the rest of my life with you? Really Scarhead? I thought, you were smarter than this.”

Draco stood up and went to get his jacket. The Weasley Family was still joking in the living room. They didn’t realize that they succeeded. That they put a wedge between Draco and Harry.

While putting his jacket on, it took all of Draco’s willpower to turn around and look at Harry.

The-Boy-Who-Lived was shocked. And scared. The complete opposite of Draco. At least on the outside.

But, if one were to look behind Draco’s mask, they would realize that the blonde was hurting. So much, it felt like a troll trampled on his chest. He tried to will the tears away, but it didn’t seem to work, so he turned his back to his now-Ex-Boyfriend.

“This is your fault you know? Why did you insist on following me in sixth year? Why did you insist on ‘getting to know’ me when you found me in that bathroom? Why did you confess your feelings on the astronomy tower and why would you want to date me after everything that happened between us? That’s the dumbest thing, you ever did.”

Harry was silent during his tirade and he was thankful for it. He couldn’t end this, if he were interrupted. He had to get his planned words off his heart, so that he could go and leave everything behind him.

“We had fun, I give you that, but then you had to go and play ‘Happy Couple’ at your adoptive families Sunday Lunch? That was the last drop. Today made me realize, what a fool you’ve been. What a fool I’ve actually been.”

With his final words, the first tear made its way, down Draco’s cheek. But he willed his voice, to stay strong.

“Goodbye Harry. I’ll stay at the manor from now on.”

He didn’t see the way Harrys lowered head snapped up. Frowning he took Draco’s rigid stance in, but before he could say anything, Draco left through the door and only seconds later, the faint sound of Apparation could be heard.

“Harry? What’s going on, Mate?” The Weasley’s, it seems, realized that not everything was so happy in paradise. For them, it was the proof, that Draco Malfoys feelings were superficial at best. And now Harry could look for someone better…

“Something seems to bother Draco. He just lied to me. “

“What? How do you know?” asked Hermione.

“Well I love him! And I know him. So I know that he would never willingly go to the manor. He hates it there. It’s like a mental torture for him there, he once told me. But why would he…?”

Harry didn’t even finish his sentence. He knew, Draco needed him.

“Sorry guys, I have to go. See you next week, yeah?” With that he hurried outside to follow his wayward lover. 

 

~~~

 

Old ghosts were mocking him. The walls seemed to draw nearer and there was nothing, he could do. He didn’t want to do anything. Better dealing with old ghosts, than with his newly gained one.

Draco was sitting sunken low in a chair in front of the fire in the east wing parlour. To this room, he didn’t have any direct connections concerning certain Death Eaters or Dark Lords. In his hand he was swirling a glass of brandy. But the stuff wasn’t really helping. His thoughts were all about Harry.

‘God, I miss him already. How the mighty have fallen… But it’s better this way. It’s the best for him.’

He willed the tears away again. It wasn’t becoming of a Malfoy, to cry over a relationship.

“It seems, my proposal at the Burrow wasn’t really clear, so I’ll try again, to get through your thick head.” The glass shattered on the floor and Draco jumped up. There in the doorway stood Harry, casually leaning against the doorframe with a loving smile plastered on his face. With a flick of his wand he vanished the splattered liquor and the shards. Then he started walking towards Draco, like a predator. And Draco couldn’t move, like the prey that he was.

“We’ve been seeing each other since sixth year. And we had feelings for each other, probably for a long while longer than sixth year. Since the end of the war, we’ve been so happy together. YOU make me happy Draco. And I want to make you happy too. I want to grow old with you. So please: Will you stay with me? Please, marry me?” He stopped in front of Draco and dropped to his knee, holding a bonding ring up to the blonde.

Thousand emotions ran over his face. Thousand thoughts ran through his mind. He couldn’t help but be mesmerized by the young man in front of him. And when he took a look at the bonding ring and then took Harrys eyes in, so full of love – he knew that – with all his insecurities – he would always and unconditionally be in love with Harry.

“You do realize, that you have to bond to the whole package?” he whispered. “Me, my past, my sharp tongue and my other faults?”

Harrys smile only grew wider. “Of course, love.” This final endearment did it for him and he reached out with his hand. When Harry put the bonding ring on his finger, he couldn’t hold the tears in any longer, but Harry took him in his arms and held him tight. “Let’s go home, Draco.”

And together they left for their shared flat that they bought right after Hogwarts and kept a secret from everyone. There they cuddled on the couch in front of the fire, Draco securely held in Harrys arms, looking again and again at his ring and feeling happy and content.

“Say Harry… why did you follow me? I thought I was pretty convincing.”

The arms around him tightened for a second and he could hear Harry taking a deep breath. “You were convincing. I can attest you that. For a second there I really believed you and couldn’t think straight. But then, you spoke about returning to the Manor. And I know how you feel about your childhood home. You went there to punish yourself, so I knew for sure, that you thought you were to blame for something. You made yourself the villain on purpose, even though you claimed me to be the one at fault. Your speech and actions didn’t add up.”

Draco was gobsmacked. After all this time, it seemed that Harry really knew him the best. Maybe better than he knew himself? He turned around and lifted his head, to give Harry a kiss to convey all his feelings as best as he could. “Thank you for not believing me.”

Harry nuzzled his neck and his ear and finally asked the question that bothered him the whole time. “So, what led to this whole drama today? I know you were anxious about the lunch at the Weasley’s, but what happened to make you flee?”

Even though Draco didn’t like the wording (it was a tactical return!), he told Harry about the lunch from his point of view. About the cool glances and subtle threats, as well as the open threats and the manipulations that happened over there.

To say, that Harry was angry wouldn’t be accurate. He was livid. It seemed as if his family didn’t trust him. They didn’t even speak with him about their misgivings, they went behind his back to attack Draco. And that, he couldn’t accept. He didn’t send a Howler, he wrote a simple letter. But, sometimes a quiet message has more impact than the loudest shout.

In his letter, he made his disappointment in his adoptive family clear and he made also sure to explain his complete and honest trust and love in Draco. He told them about their planned bonding, but he didn’t want so see anyone of them for the foreseeable future. Every try to visit, write or talk to him was blocked and it took time and finally a push from Draco to accept the owls – after all, Draco knew how important they were for his fiancé and they had a bonding to plan.


End file.
